Woods Keeper

06/09/2026

A very busy May for Woods Keeper at Grant Park: We tended the native garden (looking great!), managed overgrowth and invasive vines along the pool slope, swept the wetlands for chaff flower remnants, worked the perimeter of the pond targeting porcelain berry, and got familiar with the new assigned section along Cherokee Ave. Awesome job team!

Invasive plants removed include:
Porcelain berry (Ampelopsis glandulosa var. brevipedunculata)
Chaff flower (Achyranthes japonica)
Chinese yam (Dioscorea polystachia)
And more

Native plants preserved:
Jewelweed (Impatiens capensis)
Cutgrass (Leersia virginica)
Lizard’s Tail (Saururus cernuus)
And more

Thank you to the Grant Park Conservancy and their supporters for making this work possible.

05/13/2026

Sayonara Spring: Native

1. Toadflax (Linaria canadensis)
2. Box Elder Maple (Acer negundo)
3. Violet (Viola sp.)
4. Sensitive Fern (Onoclea sensibilis)
5. Crossvine (Bignonia capreolata)
6. Puttyroot Orchid (Aplectrum hyemale)
7. Butterweed & Va Creeper (Packera glabella, Parthenocissus quinquefolia)
8. Blunt Broom Sedge (Carex tribuloides)
9. Sweetshrub (Calycanthus floridus)
10. Black Walnut (Juglans nigra)
11. Aniseroot (Osmorhiza longistylis)
12. Muscadine (Vitis rotundifolia)

05/09/2026

🙏 Because of your support, we rely on Woods Keeper for the ecological care of the park. 🌿 In April, their team focused on areas around Constitution Spring and the Pond, targeting Chinese yam, wintercreeper, liriope, and porcelain berry. 🌱 They also spent time in the native garden we planted last year, and it’s looking fantastic! They’re currently monitoring its progress, and we couldn’t be happier with how it’s developing. 🌼

Work also continued above Constitution Spring along Cherokee Ave, where they removed wisteria and honeysuckle, 🌿 building on efforts started a few years ago. Even better, the tree-of-heaven treatments completed two years ago in this area have proven highly effective. 💪 Overall, the team removed approximately 8 cubic yards of invasive plant material. 💚 Thank you for making this important work possible!

🌱 Native plants preserved include:
River oats (Chasmanthium latifolium)
Oakleaf hydrangea
Yellow passionflower (Passiflora lutea)
Catalpa tree (Catalpa sp.)
Black cherry (Prunus serotina)

🌿 Invasive plants removed include:
Wintercreeper (Euonymus fortuneii)
Liriope spicata
Invasive yam (Dioscorea polystachia)
Porcelain berry (Ampelopsis brevipedunculata)

04/22/2026

Spring is here and the new native garden in Grant Park has come to life! Columbine, Cherokee sedge, and blue phlox are showing off. Cutleaf coneflower, Christmas fern, and coral bells are emerging. Green & gold is spreading on the front line while river oats begin to hold down the back. Everything is filling in quite nicely.

It’s been a dry spring, to say the least, and a challenge to keep these plant babies hydrated. We’re so grateful to the Grant Park Conservancy for assisting on the watering duties.

Thanks to GPC and their supporters for making this work possible!

04/17/2026

Keith and Kathy were ready to get rid of the invasive ivy, but not without a plan for replacement: preferably evergreen and native. Last spring we started with Carolina jessamine, Pennsylvania sedge, green & gold, golden ragwort, and Christmas fern. The following fall we added more of the same plus wild strawberry, coral honeysuckle, and blue-eyed grass (which is putting on a show right now). A great start!

We can’t wait to watch these young plants grow up and settle into this fence line the same way the ivy once did. Only now with more color. And diversity. And accompanying bees and butterflies and all the LIFE that native plants provide for! 🌼 🐝 🌱 🦋

04/02/2026

03/12/2026

🎶 Open Jam 🎶 All are welcome! DM for details. Or just show up. Last year was awesome!

01/05/2026

Get those tickets while you can!

Woods Keeper’s Michael Hudgins and Intown GNPS board member Laura Qadri are back with Intown’s most popular talk. This newly updated presentation will discuss how to time and prioritize gardening tasks and invasive plant removal to efficiently and effectively increase the habitat value of your landscape. Come learn how to create a space that is both beautiful and supportive of biodiversity all year long.

Stay for refreshments and mingling after the presentation. Tickets are $5 for members and $10 for nonmembers, and registration is required. This event sells out every year, so don’t wait to register at the link in the comments.ins

12/31/2025

Woods Keeper at Blue Heron Nature Preserve in 2025: During the first pass of a six acre area, we removed approximately 182 cubic yards of invasive material over the span of 12 months and 22 visits. The resulting debris was carefully managed to support both ecological and practical goals. Rather than wasting resources hauling away the plant material, it was arranged into neat piles. These piles were left on site to naturally decompose and offer valuable habitat for local wildlife. In many cases these piles serve as berms for bank stabilization, erosion mitigation, and water filtration. When we encountered materials that should not be integrated into the piles, such as invasive seeds or tubers, they were collected and discarded.

Year 1 at Blue Heron Nature Preserve has been one of discovery and progress. It is an honor to work at a
place full of learning, play, art, and wildlife! We are proud to be a part of these big strides in invasive plant management and we look forward to exploring more of the park as we
continue to tip the scales back in favor of biodiversity.

12/27/2025

2025 was our biggest year yet! We’re grateful for the front yards, back yards, big woods, little woods, uplands, bottomlands, parks, gardens, cemeteries, and all of the magical forests we’re lucky enough to call our office. Thanks to all our partners and supporters and most of all thanks to an amazing team! ♥️

21 Homes
9 Parks/Greenspaces
3 Commercial Properties
4,385 Hours
2,200+ Cubic Yards of
Invasive Plants Removed
800+ Native Plants
Planted

To help visualize, 2200 cubic yards would fill 2/3 of an Olympic size swimming pool, or it would be about 2200 washing machines.